I'd talk to a tax specialist ....
Posted By: Saras on 2005-12-05
In Reply to: Questions regarding IC status - new MT
IRS laws can be confusing. Many people on the boards can probably give a good overview of the laws and requirements, however different states may require different things. I wouldn't want to be caught in a financial quagmire because of ignorance of local requirements, thus a consultation with a local tax consultant would be my choice.
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In addition to a tax specialist
Do a little reading:
The Home Office Tax Deduction:
http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectID/C9488136-EDA9-488D-92C9C81F56BE5CE2/111/159/264/ART/
sex talk
My 11-year-old is looking forward to having "the talk." My sister-in-law gave me a great book to read to him. It has a good amount of humor in it. We have not had the talk yet, but it is coming very soon as my son has been noticing girls a lot more lately.
It sounds like you covered all the bases. I didn't even think about bringing up the girl lying about birth control.
Good job, Mom! I'm sure you are raising a very respectable young man.
Talk to your school
Placement can often be tricky, depending on your skills and your flexibility and requirements. If you graduated from one of the 3 AAMT-approved schools, you should be able to get assistance with job placement from the school that you attended. Be sure you take advantage of all that the school has to offer, and ask them to work with you on finding a good fit.
If you are an M-Tec graduate, please be sure to email me for assistance. Some times it just takes a little time to find the right job for you. Don't give up.
Susan
Just depends on who you talk to
When you select a school, be sure to enroll in a program that can offer you some job support or a program like Career Step's Spheris Training Track, which can lead directly to employment. Maybe other schools have something similar. Just be really clear about what your school will provide you with when you start your job search. Some schools don't offer any support whatsoever. There are companies who hire beginners. New grads get jobs every single day. I haven't graduated yet, but I know that though sometimes it takes a while to get that first job, almost everyone at my school who has wanted a job upon graduation has found one within a couple of months, and high honors grads usually get multiple offers.
Talk me out of M-TEC and an MT career!
Well, after 6 years of working a deadend IT job, I'm looking into a career change--and I think MT may be the area for me. (I've been making nearly $16.75 at my dead-end job, and I realize that's more than an entry-level MT makes, but this job is completely stagnant, and I've got no job flexibility or prospects in this career.)
I've been browsing sites like AAMT, XXXXX, MT Monthly, and now this one... And reading articles on the KAMT site... And I'm drowning in information overload. I hear such positive and such negative things both!
Example: the US Labor Dept says MT is likely to continue booming for many years, with off-sea outsourcing and voice recognition having only marginal overall effect on the outlook. Meanwhile, people here at MT Stars talk like it's a dead career and discourage newbies from starting in.
Here's why I think I'm a good candidate: I love English and love learning. I have a sharp aptitude for tech skills and I'm a great keyboardist who loves working and playing on his PC. In addition to my computer love and knowledge--being a born SciFi/computer geek--I'm also a successful (albeit smalltime) Shakespearean stage actor. I just starred in two summer productions (Macbeth in "Macbeth" and Athos in "Three Musketeers") for Central Coast Shakespeare Festival in central California. I've got the thick skin and the self-directed drive that comes from years of auditions and taking huge creative risks. I know how to market myself and am not afraid of taking whatever initiative is required.
I've pretty much decided to sign up with M-TEC, but I'm wondering if anyone really thinks I'm a dummy and a dolt for doing so in 2006.
I truly believe I'll excel at starting my own independant MT career--it just seems to fit my strengths, and it could also provide me the flexibility to live where I want and also take whatever acting gigs come my way. If I study nights I could be ready to quit this job within a year, and making close to the same money within 2 or 3, I suspect, with far greater hopes for the future.
So, let me have it with both barrels!! Or alternately, wish me luck if you think I have a decent shot at it...
I second productivity talk sm
I question how helpful it can be having someone send you expanders. You would have to have the Expanders and a list to constantly stop and look at and memorize. Making your own expansions in a way that makes sense to you will boost your productivity faster. If you think you can memorize someone else's system and abbreviations, then go for it.
I just re-read that and hope you don't think it is being snarky - it is honest-to-god advice. I have found the most effective way to make expansions is by creating them on the fly as I am transcribing. When I notice I have typed the same phrase three times in a report I stop right there and make an expansion. For most phrases I use the first letter of each word. For single words you just have to do what makes sense to you. Many of my expansions end in -x so that they are not confused with real words i.e. medsx expands to medications because meds is a word that I might actually use.
Another thing - if you make an expansion for something like "-year-old Caucasian male" take the time to put in the others like it, i.e. "-year-old male," "-year-old African-American male." If you put in "left foot" take the time to do "right foot" and "left leg" and "right leg." It will take some time now, but using a day or two of slow-down now will save you time in many subsequent documents and boost your production quickly.
Do you have an Expander or are you working from AutoCorrect? I can probably make better suggestions once I know what you use. I mainly use Instant Text, so my suggestions might not be relevant to you if you use something very different.
Good luck - developing a system of your own and constantly building on it is the way to go.
You might talk to someone at TRS and inquire about
the possibility of hiring on with them upon graduation. I am a newbie, and still haven't found a place to call home yet, but I do know that TRS also actually does medical transcription as well as having the TRS Institute. It is called Transcription Relief Services, I believe. I have spoken with people there in the past, and they were very nice; however, I have applied there since completing a program at a technical college and they, unfortunately, did not afford me the courtesy of a response or even aknowelegement that they received my resume.
Did you talk to Andrews about that?
I don't think anybody ever said that jobs would be held waiting for Andrews grads. Employers aren't going to hunt you down and beg you to work for them.
There are a number of employers who waive experience requirements for Andrews and MTec grads. They are willing to consider them, which is a BIG benefit, if you ask me.
It's not ALL employers, either. It's just certain ones. A pretty big list, though. Did you use that list? And apply to all of them?
If you did, then you might want to talk to Linda about it. You might be projecting an image that employers are taking the wrong way or something. The employment assistance, from graduation on forever, is included in the tuition so you might as well use it. They can't help you if you don't tell them you're having a problem.
Talk to each school...
I know that both Andrews and M-Tec have people who will answer your questions about job placement and how their graduates are doing. You should ask specific questions (like those posted below) about what types of jobs, how students are doing paywise, how GPA would affect things in addition to the job placement rate.
As a disclaimer, I am currently an M-TEC student about a month away from graduation, so I can't give any specific job hunt info at this time!
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